Alif
(This character is currently Unsorted Canon) Alif is a human who was turned into a "Sphinx". Serving as both a Chesspiece for the ubiquitious "Watcher" and Arbiter for Discord's Chessgame, Alif is the protagonist of "All Things in Moderation" written by "RemnantoftheWatcher". (Information will be updated as the fanfic progresses) Physical Appearance Sphinx Possessing the body of his Patron "Watcher", Alif looks exactly like him. *'Dimensions:' 5'2” at the shoulder, 6'7” long (10' including tail), wingspan is 20'. *'Physical Morphology:' Feline body like a heavyset Panther, with Serval shaped ears and elongated legs, head structured in a morphological mix between Caracal and Sand Cat. The wings are attached at the shoulder blades, and the digits on the front paws are slightly longer than those on the back. *'Physical Description:' Fur is colored black with irregular splotchy gray stripes along the body. Patches of white fur make up the goatee on his chin, the thin strips outlining the dark green eyes, and the Aleph mark (א) on the back of the left paw. The outlining feathers on the wings are a shiny glass-like stone akin to obsidian, as are several of the feathers along the length of the tail. Human A complete physical description of Alif's human body has not been explicitly stated, but from the information given much can be inferred. Being eye-level with Discord (based on conservative estimates of the Draconequuis' height being around 7 to 8 feet tall) suggests he's rather tall. The reveal that both his face is scarred and he wears a leg brace (in addition to him referring to himself as a 'cripple') suggests he's physically disfigured, though the line "it had taken years until I was able to walk without my cane" suggests this may be the result of injury rather than defect. The segment of him cursing Discord in Russian, his "Father's native tongue" infers that he is of Russian descent, but beyond that, there is nothing else definitively known about Alif. Personality Alif exudes a genial, mature, and approachable personality. Being one of the eldest Pieces (in regards to "Marty", "Omnius", and "Knightmare" in that tentative order of being even older) he tends to be less impulsive than most of his peers. He can come off as detached or overly-analytic at times, since he prefers to observe before acting. He can also be easily confused and flustered when events or creatures act out of turn or apparently contrary to the way he expects. Appearing earnestly honest, intelligent, and communicative, he tempers this with being subtly cynical, slightly secretive, and strategically manipulative. He would be at home playing the Devil's Advocate to many, not seemingly pursuing any personal agenda and just officiating the opposite perspective or being the voice of reason. Many discussions with him leave the other party realizing when they look back on it, he's drawn out much more information than what he's volunteered about himself, suggesting someone who values his privacy. Personality Archetypes (The following could be considered meta-knowledge) *'Interior:' Cold, Calculative, and Idealistic. *'Exterior:' Highly Intelligent, Charismatic, and Sociable. *'Character Strengths:' Passionate, Virtuous, Humorous, Patient. *'Character Flaws: '''Neurotic, Stubborn, Vindictive, Obsessive. History ''(Will contain the prior information of the character before the start of the story, links to the different arcs during the story, and the most current information) Prior to becoming Alif, Jeremy Theodore Nimitiz was simply working on the finicky physics engine for the Dawnguard expansion of Skyrim for work late one night when he was interrupted by a knock on his door. His bedroom closet door. Working up the courage to open the door rewarded him with a portal into a infinite void that he was certain wasn't covered by his home insurance, with a shadow being dwelling within politely inquiring if he was Mr. Jeremy Nimitiz. He quickly slammed the door in aforementioned shadow being's face. Thus, instead of the immediate thrust into haphazard adventure, Jeremy sensibly ignored it for two whole months, until finally he was forced to admit that (much like an impacted molar) it wasn't simply going to go away through denial. Opening the door once again, and finally stepping through the threshold begins the start of our (abortively) epic tale. Celestia have mercy on us all. "Setting Up the Board Arc" Alif is currently roasting to death in the middle of the (appropriately named) "Desert of Death". Powers and Abilities (Everything contained within is, at the moment, considered meta-knowledge) *'Natural Weapons': Teeth, Claws, and the Stone-like Feathers can be used for cutting, or even flung. *'Flight' *'Casting': Alif can cast spells by singing or chanting appellations to the elemental spirits. These come in three basic 'schools'; Air, Earth, and Illusion. Spells function like limited enchantments unless otherwise stated. Difficulty and complexity of the song is directly proportionate to the duration and area of effect of the spell, with more powerful spells also being more likely to fail. Used almost exclusively for misdirection or strategic positioning rather than direct damage. Experimentation and experience reduce unintended effects. Equipment Alif currently lacks any equipment whatsoever. Will be expanded upon acquisition of equipment. Relationships Family *'Father': Deceased. This is all we know currently about Alif's familial makeup. Superiors *'Watcher': Alif's Patron/Player, Watcher is the one responsible to bringing him to the game. Serves as his guide and mentor for the body he now inhabits, as well as directing him to assignments which are crucial to the upkeep of the timeline. A teacher/student, father/son relationship. *'Discord': Alif's other 'Boss', Discord strings the Chesspiece around on assignments that (at first glance) seem trivial at the outset, but more often than not test the limits of his endurance and resolve. A fan/celebrity relationship, Alif nonetheless maintains a healthy wariness whenever Discord is involved. Appearance in Other Stories Canon * Non-Canon/Unsorted *Chess Game of the Gods Spoof Chapters! Trivia *Alif's name is actually a pun. Alif is the arabic word for Aleph, the mark on the back of his paw. The Aleph, in mathmatical set theory, is used to represent the cardinality (size) of infinite sets. Since Watcher has a lemenscate symbol on the back of his paw (which denotes infinity), Jeremy chose a name that represented him being a part of that. Quotes ''"HELLO DAVID TENNATE!" - ''Jeremy to Watcher the first time they met. Jeremy handled the encounter badly. Category:All Category:Pieces Category:Unsorted Category:Alive Category:Characters Category:Protagonist Category:OC